Insulating means



1934; D. R. PALMER El AL 1,934,653

INSULATING MEANS Filed Oct. 14, 1933 INVENTORS DJRPaZmer ErF/KJa hrd BYI WW I THEIR ATTO EYS Patented Dec. 18, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICEE INSULATING MEANS vania Application October 14, 1933, Serial No.693,690

7 Claims.

This invention relates to means for use as an insulation with anydevices or apparatus for which it maybe adapted, such as refrigeratingapparatus or boxes and within walls or partitions of rooms or in thecasings or housings of vehicles such as railway coaches or freight cars.

The object of this invention is to produce a light, easily manufacturedblock or insulating member which has a minimum of conductivity of heatfrom its outer surface inward or vice versa. I

The form of our present insulating means preferably consists of a seriesof superposed sheets of fibrous material, consisting of a plurality offlat sheets between which are a plurality of sheets that have beenstamped or pressed into the desired form. The superposed sheets arepreferably attached together by the application of any suitableadhesive, such as cement, paste or glue, to constitute blocks or slabsof material of any desired thickness, so that they will easily fit andbe contained within the space to which the insulating means is applied.

The fibrous material used for our improved insulating means ispreferably in comparatively thin sheet form, and the deformed sheets arepreferably embossed or deformed by suitable rolls having the desiredshape of the irregularities engraved or cut therein so as to constituteinterfitting dies or die members.

For a detailed description of one form of our present invention,reference may be had to the specification and to the accompanyingdrawing forming a part thereof, in which Fig. 1 is a plan view of asheet of fibrous material having the desired deformation impressedtherein;

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view of a block including sheets ofmaterial illustrated in Fig. 1 and taken substantially on the line 2-2of that figure;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of a block formed of the sheets illustratedin Fig. 1, but taken substantially on the line 3-3 thereof;

Fig. 4 is a diagonal sectional view of a block of insulating materialtaken substantially on the line 4.-4; of Fig. 1.-

Referring to the drawing, particularly to Figs. 2, 3 and 4, the numeral1 indicates a sheet of fibrous material which has been die-formed ortreated with dies or rolls to assume the shapes indicated in section inFigs. 2, 3, and 4, said configurations being forcedsufliciently out fromthe plane of the sheets as indicated in Fig. 2. When built up into finalform to constitute a block or slab of insulating material, the plainsheets are preferably separated by the embossed or deformed sheets offibrous material, as indicated by the letters H and L in Fig. 2 of thedrawing.

As above mentioned, the sheets having the oppositely extending embossedprojections thereon are attached to the plain sheets by any preferredcomposition of cement, paste or glue, but for this purpose we have-useda solution of sodium silicate. This is applied preferably only at a fewpoints on the contacting surfaces be-' tween the plain sheets and thedistorted or embossed sheets so that they are attached together to forma complete block or slab of the desired thickness. The number of sheetsof plain and of embossed sheet material that is used per inch ofthickness may be of any number that is considered preferable, but wehave found that from 8 to 15 sheets of each material per inch giveextremely good results. The form of the embossed sheets which we haveillustrated in the present application comprises, as an example, thefollowing features:

Referring to the cross-section of the material as illustrated in Figs. 2and 4, it will be noted that'the sections are taken through a pluralityof substantially octagonal depressions and raised portions. In otherwords, those marked -H are high portions and those marked L are lowportions. As will be obvious from the various figures of the drawing,these high and low portions are pressed respectively upward and downwardfrom the central plane of the sheet of fibrous material. The surfaces,however, of the high and low protuberances do not have plain exteriorsurfaces, but are slightly recessed as indicated at 3 to form marginaledges or rounded rims or fillets as indicated at 4. These rounded edgesor fillets constitute the portions which contact with the adjacent plainsheets 2, and reduce the heat conductivity of I the material at suchpoints or lines to a minimum.

In order to still further reduce the conductivity of the material orpaper, it is desirable to produce in portions thereof small openings,ruptures or discontinuous parts, as indicated by the somewhat roughlines 5, in Fig. 1. These ruptures may be produced in any suitable way,such as during the pressing or embossing of the deformed sheets, whichsheets are pressed or indented beyond the normal expansive properties ofthe material. In the present instance, the

ruptures in the material are produced as indibeing discontinuousportions of the formed sheet material. This feature greatly aids thenonconductive character of the material, since the discontinuous orslightly separated portions of the projections and indentationsinterrupt the continuity of the material and therefore decrease theconductivity thereof.

Fig. 4 being a sectional view taken on a diagonal, such as the line 4-4of Fig. 1, indicates how the parts appear if the block is cut on such adiagonal line. Obviously in this figure the ruptured or open portions ofthe projections and indentations do not appear, and the portions of thesheet indicated by the numeral 6 are the only portions of the sheetwhich remain in the original plane of the paper or other sheet material.

Having thusdescribed this embodiment of our invention, we do not wish tobe understood as being limited to the precise details of form andarrangement of parts described herein, except as may be consistent withthe scope and tenor of the appended claims, for various changes may bemade by those skilled in the art without departing from the substance ofthis invention as stated in said claims.

What we claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

said protuberances having recessed outer sur-" faces forming marginalrims around said protuberances, for reducing the area of contact withadjacent sheets.

2. Insulating means composed of sheetmaterial in the form of a block orslab, a plurality of the sheets of which are plain, and spacing sheetsdeformed'to constitute protuberances extending in opposite directionswith respect to the normal plane of said sheets, said protuberanceshaving recessed outersurfaces forming marginal rims or beads around saidprotuberances for reducing the area of contact with the adjacent sheetsof said material.

3. Insulating means composed of sheet material, a plurality of thesheets of which have protuberances extending in opposite directions fromdeformed material comprising embossed pro-v tuberances extending inopposite directions from the normal plane of said sheet, saidprotuberances having their outer surfaces depressed to form continuousmarginal contacting ribs or beads around the edges thereof.

5. As an article of manufacture, a sheet of deformed material comprisingembossed protuberances extending in opposite directions from the normalplane of said sheet, said protuberances having their outer surfacesdepressed to form ribs in the normal plane of adjacent sheets of plainmaterial, said ribs contacting therewith to reduce the conductive area.

6. As an article of vmanufacture, a sheet of deformed materialcomprising embossed protuberances extending in opposite directions fromthe normal plane of said sheet, certain opposite sides of saidprotuberances being connected together by plain portions lying in thenormal plane of said sheet, a plurality of sides of said protuberanceshaving small openings or ruptures to form discontinuous portions of thema- :1

terial to reduce conductivity.

7. As an article of manufacture, a sheet of deformed material which hasprotuberances extending in opposite directions from the normal plane ofsaid sheet, the protuberances thereof that are alined along transverseand longitudinal lines of said sheet being staggered relatively insuccessive transverse lines on respective surfaces of said sheet andsaid protuberances being reversely recessed to form marginal ribs orbeads to reduce their contact areas.

DONALD R. PALMER. FRANK M. SAYFORD.

